It is a Sunday morning. Early. Everyone is sleeping still. Dark sky. Trees silhouette in the early morning dawn that is about to begin. Today is the last day. Today is the first day. Today.

This weekend I am facilitating a mother-daughter weekend retreat with three dynamic women and potent mothers and their beautiful daughters.

If you have seen the movie “Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants”.... these ladies have been through it all together. They have known each other when they were just beginning their adult life and have journeyed with each other through crushes, loves, marriages, babies, deaths, births, beginnings and more. They have a history. They have a story. They have a connection.

These women gather once a year to connect and celebrate each other and this year they invited me to add to the weekend and provide facilitation, guidance, and invitation to stretch, grow, be and nourish and nurture and more.

I am grateful for this weekend, for the experience of witnessing women and children, mothers and daughters being themselves, holding space, listening, creating, wondering, seeking, playing, dancing, laughing, dreaming and being together.

I try to BE the SPACE and BE the INVITATION for each person to BE themselves even more. I try to BE the WITNESS and ALLOW all to experience this weekend in whatever way they require. And at the same time I try to BE the INVITATION to BE MORE.

Being MORE is an invitation to be wide open with barriers down and stretch in new ways to reach new destinations. Being MORE is a STATE and a CHOICE. It is not a HOW TO GUIDE with check boxes and lists of “top 10 things to do to create a dynamic life”. Being MORE is about RECEIVING all of you and all of everyone else and judging none of it – even the jiggley wiggly bits. Being MORE is not holding onto rightness or wrongness or judgment or conclusion.

Being MORE is about stepping into the POSSIBLITY of CREATING your life in a new way. And all it requires is a new choice. A collection of new choices emerges throughout the weekend. May these words be the invitation and inspiration for you to choose different, be different, and create more.

A girl shares a tender connection she has with her cat that has died. She cries. She is open. Barriers down and beautiful. Her mother watches and witnesses with tears down her own face.

A mother shares her regret for her short fuse and how at times she can overreact. She is grateful for her daughter and compliments her daughter in front of all of us.

My mother is warm. My mother is fuzzy. My mother is soft.

A mother meditates side by side her daughter. She sends kindness and love and light to her daughter – with eyes closed and heart wide open. Words are secondary to our Being. Our BEING-ness creates our Relationships and our Life and our Living.

My mother is sparkly. My mother is kind. My mother is me.

A mother’s edge softens over the weekend and the rush of life melts away. She now stands present with us... present with herself... and receives and gives kindness and gratitude. Breath arrives in her belly and her face.

My mother is strong. My mother is open. My mother is creating.

A girl sends kindness and compliments another mother in the room. Thank you. This connection matters. A daughter looks this other mother and friend in the eye. A giggle emerges from her belly. Thank you.

My daughter is receiving. My daughter is giving. My daughter is soft.

A girl shares her special color, her passion for music, her connection with horses and how she too is like a horse.... like freedom. She has a horse-like quiet presence in the group. Tall, powerful, and gentle. Watching all with her big eyes and seeing everything, even the in-betweens.

My daughter is power. My daughter is presence. My daughter is still and free.

A girl shares her capacity of strength and endurance. She giggles and laughs and her creative color and sparkles burst out of her and onto the page. And in the same breath this girl shares the soft tenderness of a blanket and how it wraps around her finger and covers her body in kindness.

The sun is rising. The trees are no longer in silhouette. The girls are rising and now chatting on a couch celebrating their sharpies, markers and magic coloring books. The coffee is done and the moms are slowly rising. The girls are ready to create this day.

I wonder what magic and possibility will show up today as these women and their daughters continue to create, choose, be and shine.

You are in my kitchen and we are drinking a cup of strong dark coffee. I have prepared your favorite beverage for you. Sit down. Relax. Stay a while. Let’s connect.

You start sharing about your family, your kids, your dog, and your day. How proud you are of them, the different things they are choosing and how far you have come as a family since the cancer/breakup/big fight/ move/ accident/ road trip. (Choose your own drama/ story here and add it in). There’s a pause. Time to reset the conversation. I start sharing about my creations and things that I’m choosing that are different. How excited I am about the future, about tomorrow, about right now, and how much fun it is to create my life – even if I don’t know how I am going to get there or what it will look like. This choosing, creating and celebrating life is soooo much fun. There’s a pause. Time to reset the conversation. And then it begins. You start to tell me about the story beneath the story beneath the story. You unveil yourself like an onion; thin layer after thin layer – these microscopic fibers of vulnerability, joy and possibility. You too are a creator. You too are a mover. You too are a connector. You’ve stopped creating and desire more. You’ve put yourself on hold. I pour you another cup of coffee. The story continues. You have lost YOU along the way of being what everyone else wanted. You have lost YOU along the way of buying into everyone else’s beliefs of what was possible. You don’t know how or what to choose to create new and be more. This potent onion of possibility weeps at my kitchen table wondering what to choose, how to be you, how to be brilliant and to be loved. There’s a pause. No reset needed. Simply breath. Simply be. Then a question. Always a question. A question invites. A question creates. A question is the door to wonder, possibility and choice.What can you be or do different that would create more here? I could be myself. I could choose me. I could say no. I could say yes. I could stop. I could start. I could trust myself. I could speak up. I could be me. What if you no longer made people’s judgments significant? What could you choose then? I wouldn’t be worrying so much. I wouldn’t be stressed. I would be myself. I would be ok. It would be simpler. What if you had your own back? Who would you be? What could you choose? I could choose anything. I would be awesome. There’s a pause. No reset needed. Simply breath. Simply be. Then the dreams come and the joy is unleashed. We laugh, giggle, smile, and brainstorm possibilities – without even trying. They pour out of us like a giant crystal clear waterfall from this deep place of knowing and ease. I am reminded of being a very young girl when everything was possible and I was powerful and infinite and a creator of the world. That is still true you know. Yet it is often all of these layers.... these microscopic layers of onion skin upon skin, that veils our beauty, potency and capacity. It is time to shed the skin of others that you are wearing. It is time to be the beautiful potent knowing creature that you truly be. Vulnerability is one of your greatest potencies. Sharing you and all you be, and being visible can create so much joy for you and for the world. Do not hide beneath those layers my lovely one. Burst forth and unveil your beauty, your knowing, your great gift for there is only one of you. The 6 year old... 4 year old... 2 year old... the in utero... the in vitro-old... the just about to be born into this world beauty knows this to be true. Is it time? Our now empty coffee mugs are in the sink. My dog and I send you off at the door. Your eyes sparkle and a mischievous creative smile sneaks out from your lips on your way out the door. I wonder what you will choose today? I wonder what you will be today? I wonder what else is possible that you never imagined was possible that is now ready to be unleashed, unveiled, and undone? Joy is just a layer away. Joy is just there, under the onion layer. Joy can show up as discomfort at first. Experiencing joy is choosing vulnerability and creating choices with barriers down and compassion and connection at your centre. And if there is a cup of delicious hot dark coffee in your hand all the while; even better. CHOOSE ON. SHINE ON. BE ON. The Invitation: If you are curious and seeking to be and receive more of you and unleash your own awesomeness... If my writings have inspired you to wonder what else is possible for you and what else you could choose to create more for you and your life, please contact me. I offer private sessions for people desiring to create more and be more. And perhaps now is the time for you to also shine, create and be you. For more about Christine & The KIVA Studio, there are numerous ways to find out: welcometokiva@gmail.com (email); www.welcometokiva.com; https://twitter.com/ChristineCiona; https://www.facebook.com/TheKIVAStudio/

]]>cCiona@prairiepost.com (Christine Ciona)Be Alive and ShineThu, 01 Feb 2018 10:03:58 -0700What can you choose if the past was no longer significant?http://prairiepost.com/index.php/component/k2/item/13622-what-can-you-choose-if-the-past-was-no-longer-significant.html
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PRELUDE: New Year’s Eve 2017 I am sitting on my couch, watching the fire, and my dog is nestled at my feet. A glass of red wine and a few yummy dark chocolates and I am set.

That was it. Me, the couch, the dog, the fire, the wine, the chocolates. No one else. No people. No music. No action. Simply fire, breath and wine. Enough. And different.

It was the first year with such a different choice. In the past, I would cook escargot and entertain myself with yummy eats and treats. I would bring out my journal and my daytimer from the year past. I would “review the year”, and send my gratitude to all the choices, adventures and creations that I chose. I would celebrate all of me and everything I’ve chosen and created to take me to this moment. I would then create a soul collage, set intention for the upcoming year and step into 2018 with gusto.

This year I chose different. I chose nothing. It was awesome and new. There were moments when I wondered if I was doing something wrong. Moments when I thought “I should be celebrating more”, “I should be eating escargot, brie cheese, and decadent dessert”. I quickly let go of this judgment of “doing New Year’s wrong” and celebrated this different choice. The simplicity was nice and just as delicious. It was easy to sit in silence and stillness and embrace the night and the roar of the fire. It was replenishing in many ways.

A NEW DAYIt was the next day, on January 1st, 2018, where I felt a different sense of purpose and action. The New Year was here. It was a brand new day and a brand new year. What if everyday was “New Year’s Eve”? What if everyday was brand new and full of possibilities? It is true, if we make it so. Or you could hold on to all the choices, regrets, yes’s, no’s, would have’s, could have’s and more for the upcoming year and then burn it all up in a fiery on the one late night on New Years Eve.

My next aha moment took place when I was listening to an Access Consciousness Telecall with Brandon Watt. He asked a question: “If the past was no longer significant what would you choose?” It was then that something within me opened up. Almost like his question was a “release button” of the past. How liberating to let go of the past. What could I choose if the past was no longer relevant? Who could I be if the past was no longer relevant? I love the possibilities and excitement that show up with these questions.

People are so attached to the past – of who they are, what they’ve done, what they’ve accomplished, who’ve they’ve dated, what they’ve achieved, and on and on and on. What could we create if we were no longer “stuck” or bound to our past? Whoop whoop and a cha cha. Who would we be if we were not “being” our past, but “being” our future – right now?

Bye bye past. Hello possibilities. I can choose ANYTHING. I can BE ANYTHING and ANYONE. So who do I choose to be NOW? In these 10 seconds? I wonder!!!!

This is where your brain is having a moment and perhaps you are getting stuck by these words. “Who can I be?” Fiddlesticks and crackerjacks – you may say. That’s just non-sense. BE YOU! And what if being YOU... is not about what you’ve studied, or how much money you’ve made, or how many gifts you got this Christmas. Being YOU is not how many pounds you’ve gained or lost. Being YOU... is simply that... YOU! And if you were no longer bound by the past choices you have made... if you were no longer choosing based on the you that was.... if you were no longer the YOU that everyone wanted you to be.... what could you choose?

Anything and everything! That’s what.

THE NEXT CHOICEMy first day of 2018 was topped it off with the creation of a soul collage. I asked myself that same question that Brandon Watt asked earlier: “If the past was no longer significant, what would you choose and who would you be?” Every image I chose, was NOT a picture of what I wanted to have, or get or experience. Each picture WAS an image of “ME BEING ME”. If the past was not significant I would choose to be MORE OF ME: more potent, creative, powerful, beautiful, money-ful, elegant, sexy, stunning, AND MORE.

The soul collage is over 5 feet high and is currently hanging on the wall in my living room.

I am my own target for 2018. For 2018 I choose to make the past INSIGNIFICANT every single day. I choose to OUTCREATE MYSELF everyday. For 2018 I choose to UNLEASH THE FULL POTENCY OF ME – and receive and be it all. With magic and whoo whoo and fa-la-la-la-la. Just like that – with total ease.

Are you ready? Is now the time? I am playing big. I am celebrating large. I am making big choices, as if they are small and easy and everyday. Because I can. Today, tomorrow and this year and everyday in between is MY YEAR to BE ME! Unleashed. Unabridged. Un-edited. Simply breathe. Simply be. ME.

INVITATIONI invite you to do the same. Or don’t. Its up to you. It is all a choice. If the past was not significant, what would you choose? I wonder!

THE PAST 40 DAYS: For the past 40 days I have been asking to create, generate, receive and actualize $15,000 for our Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign.

The campaign is raising funds for the expansion of The KIVA Studio and the creation of a multi-room studio and wellness centre that will include a cold pressed juice and smoothie bar; called The JOY JUICERY.

Days ago our Indiegogo campaign ended and with your amazing contributions and support we raised over $20,000. (Whoosh). [NOTE: if we didn’t reach our fundraising target of $15,000 we wouldn’t have received ANY of the funds. So reaching our target and creating above and beyond that has been an incredibly dynamic experience].

For the past 40 days, I have been sharing the news of this expansion and inviting people to like/share/contribute/and join our KIVA Expansion Campaign in any way they can. I handed out fliers, sent out emails, knocked on doors, called up friends, shared cold-pressed juice samples, attended trade shows, connected with local businesses and more. Friends, family, KIVA Staff members and more joined us in sharing the expansion and telling others about our campaign.

The journey was one of ASK and RECEIVE. This is what I learned along the way:

1. If you can’t, don’t, or won’t ASK for something.... how can you ever RECEIVE it? When you are clear on what you would like to create, or what you would like to show up in your world, then you can begin to ASK for it to show up. When I became clear that I would do whatever it took and never give up on creating The NEW KIVA STUDIO & JOY JUICERY, then it was clear that I was ready to take action, make choices and be the invitation for the money to come with ease. That meant not keeping this a secret. I am proud of myself that I ASKED for the MONEY to show up without SHAME and without worrying about what other people thought about it. I went out of my comfort zone and became the invitation for creation. 2. When I let go of the SHAME of ASKING.... for anything: be it money, help, support, partnership, staff, etc.... OPTIONS and POSSIBILITIES EVEN GREATER than I imagined can show up. 3. Asking for $$$$$$ to show up invited me to step into CREATIVITY, POTENCY and BE THE INVITATION. There are infinite ways for the money to show up. The more I was able to ASK without attaching a point of view about “who/what/or how” I was asking.... but simply ASKED without a point of view.... the more possibilities showed up. And all I can be is ME. And I choose to ASK and RECEIVE and not make other people’s decisions or points of view significant. (Whether they are “yes’s” or “no’s” to things I am choosing and creating).

4. Everyone has their own points of view about money, about juice, about wellness, about joy, about myself, and about ASKING.... just to name a few. If I worried what others would think about “The ASK”.... if I was stressing about what if “they said no”, .... if I started to OVERTHINK THINGS, it slowed down my creative capacity; and nothing would get created and little would be received. More showed up for me in the past 40 days, when I simply was myself, sharing the campaign, my excitement for the renovations, the joy of receiving each donation, thanking every single person who said “yes”, and creating new perks, programs and offerings for people to buy. 5. I realize now that I CAN CREATE ANYTHING – (we all can), as long as we are willing to choose it and to receive it. Receive the appreciation and the judgment. Receive the money and the shame. Receive the guilt and the gratitude. Receive the potency and possibility. Receive it all. Create it all. And more! AFTER THE 40 DAYS:For all of you who said No; I am grateful and I thank you. For all of you who said Yes; I am grateful and I thank you. And I wonder what I can choose now that will create even more awesome and possibility and joy and potency for me AND for the planet (which includes you too).

INVITATION: Get clear on what you would like to create. It doesn’t have to be money. It doesn’t have to be a new business. Whatever you choose – it should feel FUN and bring you JOY and make you feel EXCITED at the POSSIBILITY of RECEIVING IT. JUST LIKE THAT. And I wonder what you can be or do today that can create THAT fun, creative, tingly and excited potent sensation right away? I wonder what you have never asked for, that if you did ask for it.... it would change everything with total ease? Hmmmmm. I wonder.

SHINE ON. FOLLOW JOY.

Christine & The KIVA Studio

(P.S. Our Indiegogo Campaign was so successful the company has kept it “LIVE” on their website. We are officially an “In Demand” Campaign; which means all our amazing perks and offerings are still available to purchase online. For more details and savings at The KIVA Studio & Joy Juicery please visit: www.igg/me/at/KIVAStudioJoyJuicery

Welcome to December. As I look all around me, I am inspired by the power of creation. Last night a gentle snow fell all over the city. Awakening the sidewalks into white clarity.

The full moon called loudly in the night sky: “SHINE ON”. Yes, the television and the advertising invite us to shop and buy, and shop and buy some more. However I choose to let the sales and specials go. I am inspired by creation and beauty this December – the beauty within and among others; the beauty and magic that you will not find in stores, online or on the shelf. The white snow all around, fresh and new. I choose where I place my steps in my winter boots. I choose the footprints in the snow and what path and direction they take. I choose. I AM THE PATHWAY TO THE DESTINATION I SEEK. (Tweetable) What if this holiday season, you chose different? What if this holiday season you entered December in a brand new way? What if this holiday season you chose to BE CREATION! What if YOU were the BEST thing on your shopping list; and people would feel better and be inspired simply by being around you. Hmmmmm. I wonder what you could choose then? I wonder what kind of YOU, you would BE? Would you choose the drama and cray-cray (that’s crazy) of family and road trips and trying to squeeze everybody into everyone else’s schedule? Would you choose to “DO” Christmas the way you’ve always “DONE” Christmas? Or could you choose something different? What if you could BE different? What if you forged your own trail and chose to go where there is not one footprint, not one path, not one trace of anyone saying “go here, go there, be this, or be that”? What if you simply chose to place your footprint down... and create a new path... one full of possibility and promise. What can you choose today that will unleash your true beauty RIGHT AWAY? (Tweetable)I speak a lot about creation and choice. (Can you tell? – LOL). Those are two things that help me to continue to move forward in my day and make my life dynamic and full of joy and possibility. Yes, I could get stuck in how things are going to work? I could try to plan out every single detail of how to make things work and get things done... but that really isn’t much fun and definitely not creative at all. Over structuring my life leaves no room for creative play and innovative freedom. It also sucks out my energy. Instead I choose to play in possibility. I choose to see my life as a white canvas ... a field of fresh fallen snow... where every day is a new beginning, where every day I can choose everything, or nothing. And both are just fine. I can hear some of you right now and the thoughts in your head, saying something like this: “Come on Christine, I can’t choose EVERYTHING. I can’t choose ANYTHING I want to. I can’t just DO that. It’s part of my job to do A B and C. If I don’t do X Y or Z.... who will do it?” We can create excuses for why we are stuck. We can make excuses and say things like: “if I don’t do it, no one will. If I don’t, they’ll be hungry... or disappointed... or worse. If I said No, they wouldn’t like me. If I said YES, how will I have time for everything else.”? And OMG your head sabotages your life one more time. So go ahead.... don’t choose. That would be too hard. Stay in your excuses and worries and receive all the praise from others about how awesome you are when you do sooooo much. That doesn’t sound like a freshly fallen snow filled white and crispy clear sidewalk day of possibilities, now does it? That sounds more like overwhelm and the over-trodden path that everyone chooses. INVITATION: So this holiday season, I invite you to BE DIFFERENT. I invite you to CHOOSE DIFFERENT. I invite you to wake up as if you are the fresh fallen white crispy snow; new and ready to BE the BOLD BEAUTY OF CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES that you truly be. You are a magnificent creature. Your overwhelm and “cray-cray” is awakening you into that truth – to choose different. Overwhelm is NOT YOU. You can make a different choice. GIFTING YOURSELF TO THE WORLD. GIFTING YOURSELF TO YOUR FAMILY. BEING YOU... THAT IS ENOUGH. YOU ARE ENOUGH. SO CHOOSE YOU. GO WRAP YOURSELF UP IN BEAUTIFUL PAPER, RIBBONS AND BOWS... AND UNLEASH YOUR BEAUTY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. PRICELESS! AWESOME! AND SO MUCH MORE FUN. Whether you are having a quiet holiday at home or travelling to all the aunties and uncles for turkey, stuffing and dessert (times 3) – however the holidays show up for you.... BE THE GIFT THAT YOU SEEK UNDER THE TREE. SIMPLY PRESENCE. SIMPLY YOU. SIMPLY BE. SHINE ON. FOLLOW JOY. Christine Ciona, The Joy Guru www.welcometokiva.comwelcometokiva@gmail.com

Have you ever had one of those days when you are cooking with gas, all lit up and creating with fierce joy?

That has been my week. I am not talking about scratching things off you “to-do” list. But rather choosing to create with the fullness of you. And then receiving the awesomeness that shows up as a result. This idea is foreign to most of us. We are in a world that thrives on “lists” and “tasks,” and we measure our accomplishments not by what we are choosing to create, but rather by what we get done. This is so engrained in our world, we will even get things done on other people’s lists... and do other people’s’ “stuff” for them. How crazy is that!?! As I am creating my life and choosing to “be the change I want to see in the world”, amazing things have been showing up for me. FIRST: I am noticing more and more people choosing big and creating their lives in new and exciting ways. I walked into Kokopelli’s a few weeks ago, and I see Joanna Boutiere – the owner and creative force of this business and she is renovating her space, inviting people to choose more ways to be themselves in her store. She is fully out there sharing of herself and inviting people to be themselves as well. The space is fresh and fun and brings ease and clarity to all those who enter it. Seeing Joanna choose more and create her life in her own unique way, invites me to do the same. SECOND: I am drawn to people who are shining and creating their lives. I applaud those who let go of the status quo, get out of their own heads, and decide to choose their dreams and passions anyway – even in the face of uncertainty or the unknown. We all have the capacity to choose – that is one of the things that makes each of us magnificent. THIRD: So what can you choose today, right now, in these next 10 seconds that will create more joy, more ease, more possibility, and more fun in your day? I wonder how much fun you will have doing so? What else is possible when we choose to unleash the joy and creativity of who we truly be and what really lights us up. [tweetable]FOURTH: I am choosing to be an even greater expression of joy and possibility. One way I am choosing that is through the expansion and growth of my business. I am expanding The KIVA Studio and creating a cold pressed juice and smoothie bar – called The JOY JUICERY – built right into the studio. This is a huge leap and I am ready. The moment I made this choice and took steps to move it into action; the more I noticed other people also choosing to create their lives and be more of themselves. That in turn inspired yummy conversations about dreams, joy and possibilities. Which then created fabulous opportunities to contribute together and create more. FIFTH: When you are willing to be a contribution to yourself and others, more shows up – in great grande and glorious ways.Here’s the magic of contribution. I would ask myself: what can I choose today that would be a greater contribution to this community right away? What can I create today that would be a contribution to The KIVA expansion campaign, my business and others right away? When I stay in question, possibilities show up. And I find myself having fun creating joy filled perks that share my gifts, talent and time with others. When people join our expansion; they too become excited and are ready to create more in their own lives. SIXTH: Contribution, kindness and gratitude have filled every inch of me for the last few weeks. For the past 12 days, our Indiegogo Campaign has received over $12,000 in contributions. People have purchased products and services in advance. Businesses have stepped forward and said yes to making contributions. Individuals have called me directly asking what they could offer that would add to the campaign and support our expansion. Receiving people’s kindness, asking for contributions, and continuing to offer my gifts and talents to the planet, to my clients, and to The KIVA Studio, regardless of what others say, think or choose has been invigorating and inspiring. All I can be is the invitation for joy and possibility. And when people say yes.... the magic happens... and they then become their own invitation for joy and possibility in their own unique way. So much more has shown up for me than I could ever imagine possible and in ways I never expected. As I choose to BE my future and create my dream; kindness, gratitude and contribution arrive. Simply being YOU is the gift, the magic, and the contribution that others are seeking. You choosing you, in your own unique way has contributed to my life in so many ways. I look forward to contributing right back to you along the journey. POSTLUDE: Creating and lighting up your life rests in choice. With each choice, fill yourself with gratitude and kindness NO MATTER WHAT SHOWS UP. And BE a Contribution to others AND yourself, without expectation. We create so much more when we contribute and create with each other. INVITATION: I invite you to awaken the possibilities in your own life. I invite you to make a BIG ASK of yourself. I invite you to BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world. I invite you to be the kindness, gratitude and contribution that you truly be. I invite you to shine. And I will be there, shining right beside you. SHINE ON. FOLLOW JOY. Like what you’ve read? Desire more? Shine on with Christine – #thejoyguru. If you desire to take your business and your life further join Christine at The KIVA Studio or book your Joy Clarity Session today. Together we can start creating more ease, joy and glory in your life. More information is online at: www.welcometokiva.com; on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ChristineCiona; or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ TheKIVAStudio/.

]]>cCiona@prairiepost.com (Christine Ciona)Be Alive and ShineWed, 15 Nov 2017 15:59:35 -0700Asking the dream to show up and inviting all to the partyhttp://prairiepost.com/index.php/component/k2/item/13239-asking-the-dream-to-show-up-and-inviting-all-to-the-party.html
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Let’s Begin: May these words inspire you to choose and create and bring your life into even more joy, happiness, ease and awesome.

No matter how challenging or difficult that may seem for you. May these words inspire you to also choose, create and shine. The Backstory - Before: Four years ago or more I sat on the floor of The KIVA Studio in prayer and meditation. At that time I felt I was at a precipice; will KIVA close down and die? ... or will KIVA live and survive. I could go into the details about what was going on at the time... but really that is insignificant. My choice at that moment, four years ago, was to get caught in drama, trauma, and indecision and stress out. My head was full of doubt and worry and confusion. I was stressed about every and any possibility for The KIVA Studio and myself until very few possibilities showed up. I knew then, it was time to sit, be still, look within; and simply breathe and simply be. That evening I took my head out of my “@$$” (rhymes with “gas”. Lol) and made a choice. “Get out of the way” – (said this inner voice from within). It was time for me to ask for help, to invite others to contribute to the studio and to allow The KIVA Studio to truly be the space of contribution and capacity that she would like to be. That meant – I had to let go of control and stop doing everything myself and “my way”; which is something I continue to explore and shift. Four years ago KIVA was calling me to welcome all to the table, draw the circle wide, and invite others to contribute and play with us. And I did. And people came. KIVA and I added more staff to our KIVA team and more classes offered to our community. And my life and KIVA’s life is filled with so much gratitude. The Moment Before This One:For the past two years KIVA and I have been choosing a big dream – HUGE! And we are about to tell everyone about it with full disclosure. KIVA and I are ready to expand again and create and choose one of the most fun, delicious, and sometimes overwhelming possibilities that I have ever considered.We have chosen to expand The KIVA Studio and create a wellness centre beyond being just a fitness centre and gym. We will create a wellness centre that offers fitness classes, private counseling, nutritional coaching, wellness sessions, massage, a nutritional cafe and more. There have been many times in the past two years where I’ve doubted this dream and wondered if I should just “stay where I’m at”, and not choose it. But I couldn’t imagine doing anything else and so I keep choosing it. We have looked at multiple spaces, buildings and rentals. We have worked with architects and graphic designers. We have applied for permits and funding applications. Lots of choices along the way. And no matter how many late nights or long meetings, this dream feels fun and choice and creation continue. The NEW Chapter: Asking You to Love Me:Tomorrow we are having a “soft launch” of our expansion plans with a group of friends, family and clients from the community. I am about to share the full story and invite all of you into creating the dream with me. I am excited. My belly is full of little butterflies of possibilities. I have no idea how many people are going to come or who will be there. I am ready to really share this dream with the world. I could choose to not tell anyone of this dream I would like to create. But then it doesn’t make it real and it stays a dream. I am reminded of the scene with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in the movie “Nottinghill”. Julia enters the bookstore and says to Hugh Grant: “I am just a girl. Standing in front of a boy. Asking him to love her”. Well, here I am on the night before our soft launch opening about to stand in front of all of you and ask you to love me – or at least jump on board the idea of the KIVA Studio and Wellness Centre Expansion and create with us. We can “wait for our prince charming” to come, but if we don’t put a big ASK out there and let people know what we would like to create and receive... how will it show up? I would way rather create my life in contribution with others, and have my life be a contribution in return – rather than living on an island alone with my dreams stuck in my head. So tomorrow is the “big reveal” and for the next month or so you will be hearing a lot about The KIVA Studio and Wellness Centre Expansion. I have absolutely no idea how this story will turn out and I am letting go of expectations (or at least trying to). I am surrendering the results and I am choosing this. I am ready to receive this now please with total ease: The KIVA Studio & Wellness Centre Expansion – where health, wellness and awesome living is at its best. I would be so grateful is you would join the expansion and create with us. If you would like to know more about this dream and our expansion... If you would like to contribute and create with us... please contact me. I would happily share the full story and the juicy details with you and invite you into creation with me. [Christine 306-774-6478/ welcometokiva@gmail.com]

If I asked you to think about something that was stressing you out.... you could probably find one, two or ten things.

If I asked you about any disappointments or hurts you are experiencing.... you could probably find a few. If I asked you to think about something you would like to change... for you... your family... your body.. your work... your relationships... your kids... you could probably find an answer or two and make a list of what you’d like to be different. If I asked you how your body was feeling today.... perhaps it would say tired, sore, aching, highly medicated, stomach upset, back tight, foot sore, or much more. If I asked you how you celebrated yourself today.... how you had fun today.... how you made space for YOU in your life today... I imagine I would be hearing “crickets”... and very few answers would pop into your head. Instead, perhaps excuses and rationalizations of your life and your choices would pop up: It’s the kids. It’s the work. It’s the dog, the boss, the babysitter, the parents. It’s not having enough time. My husband, partner, wife, isn’t blah, blah, blah,.... so it’s up to me. We’ll be away this weekend for sports, band, hockey, soccer, medical, doctor, appointments, tests, assessments, meetings and more. Sound familiar?We are not encouraged to exercise our awesomeness and choose fun. We are encouraged to overwhelm. We are taught to judge ourselves and compare our lives to our neighbors and everyone. We are encouraged to rush and run and worry and stress and complain and disappoint and overextend. And yet we would like it to be different. And yet we would like it to experience more easy and awesome.And yet we keep choosing the same things.And we wonder why we feel stuck.This is your invitation to choose different.Inspired by the work of Eckhart Tolle, the film Milton’s Secret and my many teachers and guides in meditation, wellness and choice, I have created a 6-week program to help you choose different and create more ease for your mind, body and being. This is a program that will get you OUT OF YOUR HEAD and INTO YOUR LIFE. This program will help you to BE HERE NOW. ALL ARE WELCOME. KIDS too. This is a family friendly, all ages experience.... because everyone of us would like to experience more ease and awesome in our lives. I will share with you the mindfulness tools and wellness techniques that I use personally in my life. BE HERE NOW is a 6-week group experience for everyone to build the muscle of ease, joy and awesome, and create more tools in your life that will help you throughout your day. BE HERE NOW will awaken more ease, joy and possibility for your life and family. Together we will learn, experience and create tools for *mindfulness *meditation *play * laughter *choice *possibility *joy *kindness *compassion *creativity *and more. BE HERE NOW FREE TASTER: Not sure if this is the right fit for you? Want to see what its all about before you commit? Yes, I am reading your mind. That’s why I’ve created a free Be Here Now Taster Experience. This is an afternoon of awesomeness where we will sample some of the Be Here Now wellness tools and you will hear even more about the program. When is this freebie happening? Sunday Oct. 15th (1:30 – 4:30 p.m.) @TheKIVASTudio. RSVP your spot at the FREE Be Alive & Shine Taster (Sun. Oct. 15) by contacting The KIVA Studio/Christine 306-774-6478/ welcometokiva@gmail.com/visit online www.welcometokiva.com.Even Better.... SIGN UP FOR THE BE ALIVE & SHINE 6-WEEK EXPERIENCE: Join me/Christine as I facilitate a 6-week “Be Here Now” series for families, couples and friends. This is the ONLY Be Here Now being offered in 2017 so don’t miss out. This is an experience of mindfulness, magic and possibilities to create more ease, joy and awesomeness in your life. These tools work. I have used them in my own life and they have helped me to step into even more joy and possibility and get out of worry and doubt. I can’t wait to share this awesomeness with you. BE HERE NOW begins Oct. 22 – Dec. 3. It runs Sundays from 2 – 4 pm. [Investment in you & your family: Kids 12 yrs/under: FREE. Teens: $40. One Adult: $199. Bring a Friend: $99 EACH]. We even have sponsorship available. Who knew that creating more space for ease, joy and awesome could be this easy. The KIVA Studio and I are committed to being a contribution of kindness and compassion and we look forward to creating ease, awesome, joy and possibility with you. Questions? Wonderings? Contact us. If this sounds fun and light and yummy for you and you can’t wait to play and create more for you and your family and the ones you love.... then sign up today. So all you have to do is choose. Shine ON. Like what you’ve read? Desire more? Shine on with Christine – #thejoyguru. If you desire to take your business and your life further join Christine at The KIVA Studio or book your Joy Clarity Session today. Together we can start creating more ease, joy and glory in your life. More information is online at: www.welcometokiva.com; on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ChristineCiona; or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ TheKIVAStudio/.

Turning it off: There are days when I wake up and to-do lists emerge in my mind. I wake and wonder what day it is and if I am supposed to be somewhere, or if I’ve missed a meeting or appointment.

Then breath rises and falls in my belly, my mind clears, my body awakens, and the worry fades and clarity shows up. “Be Here Now Christine” (says that inner knowing). Most of us are in autopilot mode; ticking off boxes on our to-do lists, running here, going there and in all of the comings and goings we are truly not aware of the present moment and what we are currently experiencing. We complain, we judge, we fall short of who we would like to be. We expect others to be something different and to change for us. We put our happiness in the actions and behaviors of others. And when they don’t deliver to our expectations and hopes, we judge and blame and shame all over again; including ourselves. We schedule in our happiness and try to etch out times in our week or month, or even at least once a year when we can do something fun, just for us, just for you, just for me. And then it is the first thing to get scratched off the to-do list. Our kids are mirroring our lives. We shuttle our kids from band, to choir, to hockey, to skating, to dance, to gymnastics and back again. Going through drive-through, wondering if we fed the dog, left the lights on, unplugged the coffee pot or closed the garage door. (Sound familiar?) We tell our kids to go into the dishwasher and bring out the turkey; and they look at us with blank “you must be losing your mind” faces. They figure it out and head to the deep freeze and you microwave leftovers and eat on the run. The meaningful conversations with our family members, partners and loved ones are held in the car between errands and to-do lists. We miss out on the day and squeeze it in with a few texts and emails here and there. We go to bed zapped, numb and slightly disappointed or overwhelmed with how little you actually got done today and wonder how are you possibly going to squeeze it all in with everything else tomorrow. Turning it off: Every choice we have made has created our lives. I cannot blame anyone for my choices. They are simply choices and each one of my choices have created my life and brought me to this moment. If you are in a state of overwhelm... if you are living each day through to-do lists... if you feel you have lost yourself along the way... if you feel stuck... if you desire more ease and joy in your life... if you are quickly overwhelmed and not at your best; what can you choose that will create more? All of your senses and experiences, thoughts and feelings are the cumulated effect of your choices. How do we turn it off? By making different choices. Turning it up: We can turn up the ease, awesome and potency of our lives by making new choices – choices that light us up, make us feel yummy and fill us with joy and delight. Rather than getting caught in the drama and trauma of the stories of our lives, what can we choose that would create more here? One choice: BE HERE NOW!!!! Take a deep breath! (“Really, I mean it... I’m talking to you... yes you”). Take a deep breath... And another. Take a moment and listen to all that is around you and within you ... all that you are aware of, sensing and experiencing. Be Here Now!!! Be Here Now: If ANY of these words feel familiar to you I invite you to join me for the film screening of “Milton’s Secret”. Eckhart Tolle was inspired to create more ease and kindness in our lives and wrote a book called “Milton’s Secret”. The book was so inspiring it was made into a screenplay and is now a movie starring Donald Sutherland. This film is coming to Swift Current on Tuesday October 3 at 7 p.m. (Living Sky Casino). “Milton’s Secret” is the story of a family living a full and busy life full of ups and downs. Milton – a young boy is having his own set of challenges – and bullying is one of them. “Milton’s Secret” is an invitation to make a new choice and to be different; a different parent, partner, friend, sibling, and neighbor. Rather than staying stuck in the overwhelm of our lives, we can make a new choice. “Milton’s Secret” is an invitation to ‘Be Here Now’ and choose something different. I hope you can join us. Bring your children, families and friends. All are welcome. Eckhart Tolle and “Milton’s Secret” are inviting us into kindness and compassion for ourselves, each other and the planet. Perhaps this invitation is the change that you have been looking for. There is no excuse to not show up – the tickets are FREE. That is how powerful this invitation for kindness, care and compassion is. Tickets are available online at www.prpickbossenterprises.com. Or contact Stephanie 306-741-4664/Christine 306-774-6478Like what you’ve read? Desire more? Shine on with Christine – #thejoyguru. If you desire to take your business and your life further join Christine at The KIVA Studio or book your Joy Clarity Session today. Together we can start creating more ease, joy and glory in your life. More information is online at: www.welcometokiva.com; on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ChristineCiona; or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TheKIVAStudio/.

The Backstory: I was in Saskatoon for the weekend helping an 87-year old friend with some medical appointments and surgery.

It was a 2-day adventure of tending to another and ensuring that they were well, safe and had their needs met. At the end of my 2-day health and medical adventure, I was tired and truly was looking forward to getting back to Swift Current. Prior to our 3-hour road trip back home, I needed to fill my friend’s prescription at a pharmacy as he needed medicine on the way home. The Big SceneI was waiting for his prescription to be filled. I am standing in the magazine section and looking at the different cookbook and travel magazines when I hear a conversation just behind the aisle. A customer is upset about something and complaining to the clerk at the till who is serving him. I try not to listen in. I try to stay focused on the magazines; yet it is impossible as the voices are getting louder and now a second staff person is involved and three different people are all trying to be heard. Tension. Confusion. Energy is being pushed this way and that. The manager is now being called. At that moment I realize how tired I am. The weight of caregiving is sinking into my body and I wish the argument and uncertainty at the till, in the aisle behind me would cease. Arguments are interesting. People want to be heard. People want to be right. And yet when both parties try to prove their “rightness”, no one is truly listening and no one allows the other person to have their own point of view. The problem at the till was about a lotto 649 ticket. That’s about all I was able to decipher. The rest of it was irrelevant to me really. I took a breathe and this question rolled into my mind and heart: “How can I be a contribution here?” “How can I create more here for everyone involved?” And an answer emerged: “Go and gift him something”. The GiftWithout thinking but following the energy of lightness and possibility I headed to the cashier at the till. The two staff were in “heated discussion” with the upset customer. I didn’t know what I would give this man? I had no plan. I simply followed lightness and trusted that the answer/the gift would appear. The clerk was ready to serve me: “I would like to buy him a lottery ticket please”. There was a momentary pause of all parties involved. “I don’t need a ticket”, said the man. He was now trying to invite me to hear his side of the story. “I’m not interested in your concern my friend. I only want to buy you a lottery ticket. What kind of lottery ticket did you buy?” Again more silence and the 2 clerks and the customer were for a moment frozen in time. (Continued on Page 10)“It was a Lotto 649,” said the clerk. “Awesome. I’d like to buy 1 for him please. And one for you. And one for you” (I point with a big smile on my face to the other clerk). This gifting was super fun. There was no more fighting, conflict or tension. The invitation to give this man something – which ended up being a free lotto 649 ticket, soon turned into me buying 6 tickets. One for every person there: the man, the two clerks, the manager, a tall handsome man standing in line next to me at the till, and one final ticket for myself. (Note: this was the first time I purchased Lotto 649 tickets EVER ... and it felt really fun and expansive when I shared these tickets with others). We get caught up in the drama and trauma of our lives. I was caught up in my exhaustion and the stress of caregiving for a friend. This gentleman was caught up in his concerns about his lottery ticket and how he was served at the till. The clerks were caught up in the frustration of customers and their own work worry. And in all of that we can forget we have choice. I am so grateful for the power of question and choice. Life is so much more fun when we are contributing to each other rather than blaming, shaming or arguing with another. I left the Pharmacy with my friend’s prescription as well as my own Lotto 649 ticket. Everyone left the store smiling. People even shared hugs and high-fives. I felt like I just stirred the energetic soup of possibilities. INVITATION: What contribution can you be that will create more here? In those moments when you get stuck in your agenda, or are locking heads with another’s point of view, or exhausted in the moments of your day... I invite you to stay in question and ask yourself: “What contribution can I be that will create more here?” What if everyday you could choose to contribute to being the lottery for your own life and in return helped others to receive the joy in their own day? I’ll have some of that please!!! Cha ching! Priceless. Shine ON. Christine Ciona The JOY Guru